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Some International Students Find It Tougher To Study In U.S.; Many Universities Boost Recruiting

Some members of the Cal Lutheran graduating class of 2017

It’s a quiet day on a college campus in Ventura County. Classes don’t start for a few days, but more than 40 undergraduate students are here early getting a special orientation.

Many people have stories about how they struggled to go to college, but members of this group really went through a lot to end up where they are: California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. They are international students, with some coming from places like Syria and Mongolia.

About five percent of America’s college students are international students. Those numbers have taken a hit during the last few years, for a couple of reasons.

Dane Rowley is Cal Lutheran’s Director of International Admission. He says the political climate has left some parents and students worried about the safety of coming to the U.S. to study. Rowley says it’s also become tougher for some international students, especially graduate students, to get visas.

Cal Lutheran has international students from 28 countries this year as a result of its effort to create a more diverse student body, Rowley traveled the world to help recruit students, and college counselors from around the world are flown to the campus so they can see what the university offers. Some other universities are boosting their efforts to attract students from around the globe as well.

America is still home to the world’s largest international student population. Some 1.1 million students from overseas are expected to study in the U.S. this year. Because of its high profile around the world, California is the top designation for international students, followed by New Year and Texas.

Cal Lutheran is the parent of KCLU Radio.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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